Week 10, Thing 24: 25 Things: A Conclusion

Well, I've completed my 25 Things exercises. This is the final post related to the Web 2.0 program. I've really enjoyed going through the 'things' and even though I was familiar with many of them, I learned a lot of new things.

Some of the highlights of this exercise were image generators, YouTube, Flickr, and podcasts and I use them in my professional and personal life. In the new year I will be updating the Our Ontario/Whitby Archives Flickr account and I am using Bloglines to stay current with the programs of other libraries and archives.

What I'm taking away from all the things I've learned is that it is important to stay on top of popular technological trends, especially when you work in a public institution like a library, museum, or archives. In order to remain relevant in a world that is constantly advancing and moving ahead, these institutions need to be able to provide services that make sense to patrons. We need to be able to reach out to patrons and offer them 'things' that are current and relate to their dynamic lifestyles. Otherwise, you'll wake up and realize you're still using a TYPEWRITER!

Thanks to everyone who helped to create and promote the Whitby Public Library 25 Things. It was well worth it!

Week 10, Thing 23: NetLibrary

I've never used NetLibrary before. I had a play around with it this morning and I think it's kinda neat. It was nice to see some classics on the list of available eAudiobooks, Little Women, Lord of the Flies, A Wrinkle in Time, to name a few. There's also a good collection of language books which I would like to try out sometime.

I've never been into audio books but I think if I could download them onto my iPod, as NetLibrary allows you to do, I'd try them out. Sometimes the book you're reading is just too big for your purse but with NetLibrary and eAudiobooks I could always have a book with me since my iPod can fit into any purse and even my pocket.

Week 10, Thing 22: Discovering New Podcasts

I only recently got into podcasts but I really like them. Before this exercise I really only downloaded CBC podcasts from iTunes. I especially like Vinyl Cafe, CBC Radio 3 podcasts, and the classic Quirks and Quarks. I didn't even know that there were other podcast directories.

But there ARE! I looked at two, Odeo and PodcastAlley. I liked PodcastAlley better because of the layout and I think it has a better search engine. I also liked the fact that, after searching for a term, it generated a list of relevant podcasts that you can click on and see brief description about the podcast.

I found some pretty neat library podcasts. My favourite being the Library Survival Guide produced by Woodruff Library at Emory University. It offers listeners tips and shortcuts for library research. The 4 December edition was about the top ten most fun/unusual things to do in a library.

Then I searched for history related podcasts and found one that I subscribed to. It's called History Podcast (creative, I know) and recent podcats have been about everything from Vikings to the history of the internet. I'm looking forward to the one about Henry VIII and his crazy wives (or was he the crazy one?).

Anyway, another good task in the 25 Things exercise. Podcasts are just another way to get the word out about any subject at all. I like the way libraries and museums are making use of this technology.

Week 10, Thing 21: YouTube

First of all, I can't believe it's already week ten. Insanity.

YouTube offers viewers a lot of funny, silly, and entertaining videos. Sometimes, if I have a song in my head I look it up on YouTube and listen to it that way instead of downloading the song from iTunes. YouTube also served as the birthplace of the phenomena that are viral videos, short, usually funny videos that become extremely popular. Here's an example of one.

But YouTube hosts many tutorials and informational videos too. Many of them are clear and straight forward but others are done in tongue-and-cheek. I found this one on the Dewey Decimal System:



and this one on the importance of digital preservation:



I think YouTube is a good way for libraries, museums, and archives to advertise their collections to a wider audience. Many of these institutions already have channels on YouTube devoted to highlighting certain items from their collections. YouTube and other photo sharing websites are really great resources.

Week 9, Thing 20: WPL Fun with 2.0 Wiki

I enjoyed looking at the Whitby Public Library fun wiki hosted by PB Wiki. I made some posts to the favourite vacation spots section and the favourite restaurants section. It was fun to see where my coworkers like to eat and vacation and I saw that many of us share a love for Quebec City.

I've also used wikis to collaborate with colleagues during my MA at Western. We were creating a curriculum-based, interactive educational tool for Museum London that focussed on local history, specifically the Rebellion of 1837 in and around London. We used the wiki during the research and design stages so that each member of the group could keep up to date with new information, resources, and the direction of the project. I found it very helpful.

Week 9, Thing 19: Wikis and Libraries

Disclaimer: I love wikis. I would use them all the time if I could. I understand and am aware of their drawbacks and inerhant problems as far as being a credible and/or academic source, but I love them anyway. In just seconds you can learn about anything from how to care for a house plant to a brief or complete history of the French Revolution. Taken with a grain of salt, wikis can be a great learning tool.

They are also great for libraries. I like the idea of a library posting a book review and patrons being able to make their own comments. Part of the idea of a folksonomy (which I discussed in a previous post), wikis can provide library patrons with both a professional and a more common review of a new book. I also like the idea of a library using a wiki to promote their local history collections. A wiki offers a great outlet for the discussion of history and certain photographs or newspaper articles or events could be posted to the wiki for patrons to read and/or comment on.

Wikis are a great way for people to become more involved with their library, history, and their reading experiences.

Week 7, Thing 17: Library 2.0

I really like how libraries have gotten on board with Web 2.0. Libraries are one public institution that can really benefit from all that Web 2.0 has to offer. They are being really vocal about the importance of and need for collaborative, intuitive, and fun web services.

One of the main facets of Library 2.0 is the idea that libraries should offer services to users in their preferred workspaces - libraries need to go to their users. The Whitby Public Library, for example, does this by maintaining Facebook and Twitter accounts. They also have an extremely user-friendly website.

Wendy Schultz says in her brief article about the infinite futures of libraries, that people have to be at the centre of any library's concerns. The transient and dynamic nature of Library and Web 2.0 means that libraries have to be ready to adapt but it is important to remember that users come first and this might mean adopting strange (at first) and different techniques to serve the public.

Week 7, Thing 16: Technocrati Reconsidered and Tagging Part II

Well, I'm taking back most of what I said about Technocrati in a previous post. This week's task was to take a closer look at the blog directory site. I hadn't noticed the Tag Index in my last visit to the website and I enjoyed having a look at some of the post popular tags used on the website in the last month (I even found that my favourite soccer team was top tag - Arsenal!!).

The Tag Index is a neat way to get an overview of some of the more popular subjects of the time.  For example, under the letter C I saw that Copenhagen and China are the top two tags. Copenhagen because of the upcoming UN Climate Conference in that city; and China because, well, probably because Obama and Harper have visited the country in the last couple of weeks. The top three tags under the letter F are Facebook, Fort Hood, and, big surprise here, flu.

The Technocrati Tag Index is a great way to monitor popular social and political trends. In 1000 years tags might be important factors for historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and other researchers to understand today's social climates. By quickly glancing at an alphabatized list of commonly used words, we get insight into what is going on in ths blogosphere and the popular conscience.